Caspian StudioTwo things changed this month, and signage is already being checked. On 6 October 2026 the NMC issued guidelines on ethical advertising that restate what may and may not go on a doctor's board. In a letter reported on 13 October, the Union Health Secretary asked every state to enforce the display of rates in English and the local language. And in April, the Telangana Fire Department served notices on more than 200 Hyderabad hospitals.
Your clinic has
Everything that applies to every clinic is already included. Add what else you have.
The law requires
Statutory displays. An inspector can ask for these whether or not you are accredited.
- Clinical establishment registration certificate
Fixed in a conspicuous place where every visitor can see it.
Clinical Establishments Act 2010, section 18 (adopted by Telangana in 2017). Source ↗
- Rate list board, in English and Telugu
The rates for each service, at a conspicuous place, in English and the local language. In a letter reported on 13 October 2026, the Union Health Secretary asked every state to enforce this.
Clinical Establishments Rules 2012, rule 9(i), for establishments covered by the Act. Source ↗
- Doctor name boards and door plates
Name, recognised qualifications, speciality, council registration number and the council's name only. No photograph, not unusually large.
IMC Ethics Regulations 2002, 1.4.1, 6.1.2 and 7.13; NMC advertising guidelines of 6 October 2026, clause 9.2. Source ↗
- Consultation fees on the chamber board
Each doctor's fees and other charges displayed clearly where the patient sees them.
IMC Ethics Regulations 2002, regulation 3.7.1. Source ↗
- No Smoking Area boards
At every entrance, on each floor, at the stairs and lift, with the name of the person to complain to. At least 60 x 30 cm, white ground, red circle at least 15 cm across with a 3 cm red border, fixed wording.
COTPA 2003 section 4; Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Rules 2008, rule 3 and Schedule II. Source ↗
- Biomedical waste bin labels
Yellow, red, white translucent and blue bins with the Schedule IV biohazard or cytotoxic label, non-washable and clearly visible.
Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules 2016, rules 4(b) and 8, Schedules I and IV. Source ↗
- Monthly biomedical waste record on your website
Bedded facilities must publish the monthly waste record by category and the annual report on their website. This one is a web page, not a wall sign.
Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules 2016, rules 4(n) and 4(p), as amended in 2019. Source ↗
- Radiation warning on the X-ray room door
A permanent radiation symbol and instructions for pregnant or possibly pregnant women on the entrance door of every X-ray, CT, dental X-ray or OPG room.
AERB Safety Code AERB/RF-MED/SC-3 (Rev. 2), clause 5.4.1.6 (AERB site could not be checked on 25 October 2026; confirm with your RSO). Source ↗
- AERB placard outside the X-ray room, in English and Telugu
AERB's model wording (examination going on, do not enter, insist on a protective apron) with the equipment type, model and licence number, in English and the local language.
AERB model placard (AERB site could not be checked on 25 October 2026; confirm with your RSO). Source ↗
- PC-PNDT notice, in English and Telugu
The fixed declaration that disclosure of the sex of the foetus is prohibited under law, displayed prominently. Applies to any clinic or hospital with an ultrasound machine.
PC-PNDT Rules 1996, rule 17(1) (check the full Rules; our linked source covers the Act's advertising ban). Source ↗
- PC-PNDT registration certificate (Form B)
Displayed at a conspicuous place, with a copy of the Act and Rules kept on the premises to show on demand.
PC-PNDT Rules 1996, rule 6(2); keep a copy of the Act and Rules on the premises (rule 17(2)). Source ↗
- Retail drug licence at the pharmacy counter
The licence carries the condition that it be displayed in a prominent place in the part of the premises open to the public.
Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, Form 20 / 21 licence condition. Source ↗
- MTP approval certificate
The certificate approving the place for termination of pregnancy, conspicuously displayed.
MTP Rules 2003, rule 5(7). Source ↗
NABH expects
Shown when you tick NABH. Element numbers are from the current standards.
- Scope of services board
What you do and do not provide, as a permanent board visible to everyone who walks in, at least bilingual. A brochure alone does not count.
NABH Allopathic Clinics AAC.1.b; Hospitals and SHCO AAC.1.d; Dental AAC.1.c; Imaging AAC.1.a. Source ↗
- Patient rights and responsibilities
Bilingual and permanent at the entrance, registration, billing and OPD areas, including how to complain and the right to know the expected cost.
NABH PRE.1.a and PRE.2 (all standards). Source ↗
- Tariff available to patients
The tariff list available, and for dental displayed, with any extra charges listed.
NABH Hospitals PRE.6.b; SHCO PRE.5.b; Clinics PRE.5.a; Dental PRE.6.b. Source ↗
- Directional signage, inside and outside
In a way patients and the community understand: bilingual or with pictograms, meeting statutory norms.
NABH Hospitals FMS.2.c; SHCO FMS.1.c; Dental FMS.2.c; Clinics FMS.2.b (all Core). Source ↗
- Fire exit plan on every floor, and marked exits
A displayed exit plan for fire and non-fire emergencies, with exit doors clearly signed to fire service norms. In April 2026 the Telangana Fire Department served notices on over 200 Hyderabad hospitals, citing blocked exits and inadequate evacuation plans among other gaps.
NABH Hospitals FMS.7.c; SHCO FMS.5.b; Dental FMS.6.b; Clinics FMS.3.a. Source ↗
- Vision, mission and values
Displayed prominently, with a local language version suggested. A website display alone is not enough.
NABH Clinics ROM.1.a; Hospitals ROM.1.b (6th edition); Dental ROM interpretation. Source ↗
- Imaging and radiation signage in every relevant room
Prominent radiation signage wherever imaging happens, including procedure rooms.
NABH Hospitals AAC.9.k; SHCO AAC.6.e; Imaging MQS.5.c (Core). Source ↗
- Warning sign outside any laser room
A warning on the door of any room with laser equipment.
NABH Allopathic Clinics FMS.2.b. Source ↗
Good practice
Not a written requirement we could find, but worth doing.
- Warning light outside the X-ray room
A light that shows when an exposure is in progress. Listed in the national AERB compliance guide used by inspectors.
NHSRC AERB compliance guide. Source ↗
- Where to go in an emergency
If you run no casualty or critical care, a board naming 108 and the nearest hospital that does, with its distance and phone. No rule we found requires it. It protects patients and protects you.
Good practice.
- Shops and Establishments certificate
If your clinic is registered under the Telangana Shops and Establishments Act, display the certificate and the weekly holiday. Smaller establishments may be exempt from parts of the Act.
Telangana Shops and Establishments Act 1988, section 3 (check whether it applies to you). Source ↗
Tick the box beside a sign you already have, and it is crossed off. Checked against the published rules and standards on 25 October 2026. A working guide, not legal advice.
What we make
- Every board on your checklist, designed as one set in your clinic's own colours and logo
- English and Telugu by default, Urdu added on request, with the statutory wording kept exactly as the rule gives it
- Doctor door plates and name boards with qualifications and registration printed exactly as each doctor states them, never upgraded
- Sizes worked out from reading distance: a door plate read at arm's length is a different job from a corridor sign read from twenty feet
- Print-ready files with bleed and crop marks, a proof sheet to sign off every board, and a specification so the press cannot improvise
- Printed by our press partner and delivered to your clinic in Hyderabad
We designed the complete signage set for our own clinic first: door plates, a consultants board, the notice board and the statutory notices. Rates and fees belong on one board rather than on every doctor card, so a revision costs one reprint instead of ten.
Get a fixed quote
Tell us who you are. Your checklist goes with the message automatically. We reply by email within one working day and ask for a photo of your floor plan and the room list, then send a fixed quote with every board, size and material listed.
Sent. Thank you.
A person will reply by email within one working day. Keep a photo of your floor plan handy.
Questions
Is Telugu compulsory on clinic signboards in Telangana?
We found no Government Order making Telugu compulsory on clinic or shop signboards in Telangana, unlike Karnataka or Tamil Nadu. But where a law asks for the local language, such as the rate list, the PC-PNDT notice and the AERB placard, that means Telugu, and Urdu is Telangana's second official language. NABH asks for patient-facing boards to be at least bilingual. We set English and Telugu by default and add Urdu on request.
Can a doctor's photograph go on the clinic signboard?
No. The medical council regulations treat a self-photograph on a signboard as unethical, and the NMC's advertising guidelines of 6 October 2026 restate it. A board may carry the doctor's name, recognised qualifications, speciality and registration number.
Do small clinics need a rate list board?
Yes, if they are clinical establishments under the Clinical Establishments Act 2010, which Telangana adopted in 2017. Rule 9(i) of the 2012 rules asks for rates in English and the local language at a conspicuous place, and in a letter reported on 13 October 2026 the Union Health Secretary asked all states to enforce it.
How do you price signage?
From your floor plan and room list. Sizes depend on how far away each sign is read: a door plate is read at arm's length, a corridor sign from twenty feet. Send a photo of the plan and the list of rooms, and we send a fixed quote with every board, size and material listed.
Is this checklist legal advice?
No. It is a working checklist built from the published rules and NABH standards, checked on 25 October 2026, with a source against each item so you can read it yourself. Rules change, and your registration or inspection officer has the final word.
Your website has the same rules.
The rate list, the doctor's title and the no-photograph rule apply online too. See a free draft of your homepage, built inside them.